12 pages. Includes bibliography. Group therapy is a therapy modality wherein clients learn and practice recovery strategies, build interpersonal skills, and reinforce and develop social support networks. It typically involves a group of 6 to 12 clients who meet on a regular basis with one or two group therapists. The 2019 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services reports that 93 percent of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment facilities, across different settings, provide group therapy (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2020). The popularity of this type of group therapy has been shaped by the influence of mutual-support groups, the potential for cost containment, and its efficiency in delivering psychoeducation while teaching coping skills to many individuals at once. Based on SAMHSA’s Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) 41, Substance Abuse Treatment: Group Therapy, this Advisory provides an overview of goals, processes, group-specific approaches, resources, and common elements that support favorable outcomes in group therapy. It does not address nontreatment groups, specifically peer and mutual-support groups. Nonetheless, these groups can also support recovery and add significant value to the treatment process (e.g., reinforcing coping strategies, modeling recovery behavior, providing hope, and minimizing the stigma often associated with SUDs). 

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